


Collecting Control

by foxesbox



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Gen, Manipulation, character death sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 09:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16870102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxesbox/pseuds/foxesbox
Summary: Deceit wants more power. And he knows exactly how to get it.





	Collecting Control

“Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

Roman glared at Deceit. “Of course not,” He rolled his eyes. “It’s my job.”

“Maybe so,” Deceit said with a grin, stepping in closer to Roman. The creative side backed away slightly. “But doesn’t it get so tiring? A lot of the times your ideas just get tossed to the side, don’t you hate that?”

Roman was quiet, almost considering Deceit’s words. It was true, it did get tiring sometimes. He’d put so much time and thought and effort into his ideas to try and help and so many times it’d just be thrown back in his face. Were his efforts really appreciated? Did the others know how hard he tried? Did they care? His mind raced and he didn’t notice Deceit get closer to him until he felt hands on his shoulders.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to just take a break?” He asked.

“A break?” Roman looked at him, his eyes starting to cloud over with a golden haze.

Deceit hummed in confirmation. “Just think, you wouldn’t have to worry about tiring yourself out with ideas they don’t like. You wouldn’t have to worry about anything at all, really.”

It did sound nice, not having to care. Having a break? He really needed one, he was exhausted. He looked back to see Deceit grinning wider. Deceit seemed to notice Roman break out of it slightly so he moved one hand to the back of his neck and the other on his chest.

“Really think about it. It’d be nice, right? You’re draining yourself. That’s not very good. We don’t want you to go burning out now, do we? You’re the star of the show~”

Roman’s eyes clouded over further. “What do I need to do?” He asked quietly.

“Just give up your control. Say you hand your control to me. I’ll look after things for you,” Deceit hummed, toying with the gold decorations on the front of Roman’s clothes.

“I-” Roman paused, looking into Deceit’s eyes. Something behind his clouded vision seemed to be screaming, begging for this not to happen. But Roman was too far gone to stop himself now. Deceit’s snake eye shined gold as Roman continued. “I hand my- my control… over to you, Deceit.”

He leans forward, body pressed against Deceit’s. Deceit wrapped his arms around his waist, watching his eyes shut and his body go limp. He gently set Roman down on the floor.

“Goodnight, my dear prince. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

-

Patton was working in the kitchen when he felt a presence behind him, a warmth against his back. Gloved hands traveled down his arms and took a hold of his. A voice appeared in his ear.

“Good afternoon, Patton~” Deceit smirked. Patton yanked one of his hands from Deceit’s hold, covering his mouth. “Did you miss me?”

Patton hid his fear, putting on a calm face as he pushed past Deceit. “Sorry, I’m busy right now. The others are hungry.”

“Shame~” Deceit said, sitting up on the counter next to where Patton was working. “I had an offer for you.”

Patton stopped cutting up the food for a second, only a second, before resuming. “Get off the counter,” He sighed.

“You let Virgil sit up here all the time.”

“That’s different,” Patton said, a slight growl to his voice. It wasn’t very noticeable, but it was there. “I actually care about Virgil.”

Deceit rolled his eyes. He knew Patton would be harder to break, but he was up for the challenge. He placed a hand over Patton’s and watched his hold on the knife tighten. “At least let me make my offer first?~” He asked.

Patton sighed. “If I let you talk, will you leave me alone?”

“Maybe~”

The fatherly side put down his knife and crossed his arms. “Fine. You’ve got five minutes.”

“That’s all I need~” He grinned, stepping closer and scanning Patton’s face. The look on Patton’s face showed he wasn’t at all impressed. Deceit placed a hand on Patton’s face, running his thumb over his cheek. “You look tired. How much sleep have you been getting recently?”

Patton pushed his hand away and looked down. “I’ve been sleeping fine.”

“That’s a lie and we both know it.”

Patton sighed. “Fine. I’ve not been sleeping well. Is that what you wanted?”

Deceit nodded. “That’s exactly what I wanted. I’m here to simply offer you a break. Some time away from the job, doesn’t that sound tempting?”

Patton began to move away. “Not really, I’m needed around here. Someone’s gotta keep everyone positive.”

Deceit began walking around the kitchen, picking things up and making Patton feel really uneasy. “I could easily take over for a bit. You’d get a break. They wouldn’t even really notice, would they? Maybe Virgil would, but I’m sure that’d be simple to handle~”

Patton was quiet for a minute and then shook his head. “No! I’m not falling for it. I know what you’re like.”

“Oh, Patton,” Deceit sighed, knowing he’d have to push a little further. He stood back in front of him and rested his arms on Patton’s shoulders. He leaned in slightly. “Don’t you trust me?”

His eyes lit up gold as he asked. Patton felt a shiver run down his back and his mind fog up slightly.

“N-No. I don’t,” He said, although quiet and unsure. He had more strength here than Roman had, he could still fight back.

“You want a break,” Deceit asked, his voice changing slightly, calmer almost. The gold in his eyes flickered. “Don’t you?”

Patton’s mouth opened, closed then opened again as he tried to fight back. No words would come out. His mind felt so cloudy and his eyes were starting to match, a similar haze to Roman’s covering them.

“Don’t you?” He asked again.

Patton nodded. Tears filled his eyes and Deceit grinned.

“Good boy~” He laughed and gently touched his face. “So just say the magic words and it’ll all be over. You can rest.”

The tears began to fall from Patton’s eyes. They fell heavy and Patton shook slightly as he spoke.

“My control… I- Deceit- I give you my control…”

And just like with Roman, Patton collapsed against Deceit. He rested Patton on the floor against the counter. Another one down, two more to go~

-

Logan would be harder, he already knew that. The logical side would be tough to break, he was stubborn, tough, he wouldn’t fall for the ’taking a break’ line. He may be tired, but he knows what he’s doing. But there are some things that he knew Logan wouldn’t turn down. And some things he knew he could say to really break Logan.

The logical side was in his room, curled up on a chair with his head in a book. Deceit made his way up behind the chair, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

“How’s everyone’s favourite character?~” He asked.

Logan turned his head, completely straight-faced as he stared at Deceit. He didn’t seem happy about the comment as he sighed at turned back to his book. “I’m not in the mood for your games, Deceit.”

“Oh, give me a chance, Logan~” The name rolled off his tongue, the playful tone to his voice very clear. “I just want to talk.”

Logan put his book down and turned to face Deceit, who had moved to the chair beside him. “About?” He prompted.

“Well, I’ve been thinking, and I came up with something rather interesting.”

That seemed to get Logan’s attention, although the teacher was clearly trying to hide his interest. “Continue.”

“Well, Patton and Roman have been… Awfully smart recently, right? Those big words and good ideas. That’s gotta make you feel a bit weird. Being smart is your job. Aren’t you afraid of being replaced?”

Deceit smirked when Logan went quiet, clearly thinking. His smile dropped when Logan shook his head.

“Of course not. They can’t just get rid of me.”

Deceit leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs, inspecting his hands as he spoke. “Maybe not, but they could ignore you. Stop listening to your ideas, completely block you out. Virgil can do your job perfectly fine with the other two there to keep him calm.”

“What are you saying?”

“Oh~” Deceit was grinning wide again. “I think you know exactly what I’m saying. They’re eventually going to realize they don’t need you anymore.”

Logan looked away. He had to admit it, he’d thought about it before. The idea had crossed his mind that maybe the other sides didn’t enjoy him being around.

Deceit waved his hand and three shadows appeared in front of Logan, taking on the form of each of the other sides. They were dark grey with golden eyes and each of them had a look that made Logan feel weird.

“We don’t need you,” The Roman-Shadow said with a sneer, waving his hand in the way Roman does. “You only hold Thomas back.”

“You think you’re so important,” The Patton-Shadow laughed. “But you’re really not.”

The Virgil-Shadow stepped forward, leaning down and placing two fingers under Logan’s chin, tilting his head up to look at him better. Logan winced slightly at the burning pain that appeared where the shadow touched. “You’re the least popular character and everyone knows it,” The shadow grinned. “Nobody would notice if you just left~”

Logan tried to push the shadow away, but his hands just went through it. His wrists burnt and he pulled his hands away. He turned his head towards Deceit, who was now laughing.

“Something wrong, Logan? Am I hitting a little too close to home? You know I’m right.”

Logan just glared at him as the shadow backed away, standing next to the other two again. The three continued to repeat what they said, further pulling Logan down into his thoughts. He didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t.

“They don’t love you, Logan.”

Deceits voice was louder than the shadows, his eyes shining gold again. He was getting closer to catching Logan too.

“They don’t care about you,” He continued.

Logan’s eyes began to cloud over and his hands shot up to his hair, tightly gripping it. “Stop it, stop it, stop-”

“You’re not important~”

Logan shook his head, pulling harder at his hair. “F-Falsehood-”

“They’re going to replace you~”

Logan felt his eyes begin to burn with tears. Tears? He’d not cried in so long. He never cried-

“Just give up. Give up before they can hurt you.”

Logan looked back up at Deceit. His eyes were fully hazed out as Patton and Roman’s had been. Tears were slipping down his cheeks faster. “You want me to give you control, don’t you?” He asked quietly.

“You got it~”

Logan was quiet for a minute before he spoke again. “…Who else did you get?”

Deceit laughed. Of course, Logan had figured it out that he wasn’t the first. He shrugged. “Roman and Patton.”

Logan’s tears fell faster.

“You have control..”

It was only a few seconds after that Logan fell back in his chair, eyes closing. Deceit stood up. He picked Logan up carefully and smiled. He had something to do before he went to find Virgil.

-

He’d set up something lovely for Virgil. Spent a good deal of time making it look perfect. Now just to get the final piece of the puzzle.

He found Virgil sat alone, obviously. Who else would he be with? The others were all… Busy.

“Virgil!~” He called as he walked towards him. Virgil looked up and his entire face dropped.

“What do you want.”

It wasn’t a question. More of a ‘please fuck off’ sort of thing.

“Just coming to check up on my best friend, is that such a problem?” He asked, faking being offended.

Virgil stood up, crossing his arms and glaring at Deceit, pure hatred in his eyes. “What’s the real reason you’re here?”

“I have an offer I want to make.”

“I’m not coming back,” Virgil said without a hint of hesitation.

Deceit frowned. “Let me speak.”

Virgil shut up, although the glare stayed clear on his face.

“So, I have an offer I want to make,” Deceit repeated. “You’ve got two choices. You join me, come back to us. Work with us again. Or, you give up. Completely.”

Virgil’s face darkened. “I’m not coming back. And I’m not handing over my control. I’m not weak.”

“I never said you were, Virgil. Actually, you’re stronger than the others. All of them.”

Virgil held his ground though, head high and the look of complete hatred still there. “And if I refuse both?”

Deceit rolled his eyes and mimicked Virgil’s pose, arms crossed. “Trust me, I’m giving you more of a choice than the others got.”

Virgil’s angry look turned into one of fear. “What did you do to them?”

Deceit started walking away, gesturing for Virgil to follow. He did start regretting his choice the more he followed. And he really regretted his choice when he saw where Deceit had led him.

They were in the living room. Virgil came to a halt and covered his mouth with his hand at the sight. On the couch were the limp bodies of Patton, Roman, and Logan, and Deceit had tied gold strings around their wrists and necks, connecting all three together. Each of them was completely unresponsive. Virgil felt a sting in his eyes and he turned to Deceit, who was grinning and clearly proud of himself.

“Isn’t it a wonderful sight?” He asked. He turned to Virgil, completely ignoring the horrified look on the other’s face. “They all just… Gave up! Gave me control! It was so fun~”

Virgil backed up, hand still covering his mouth. This can’t be happening. There’s no way they’d all just give up. They wouldn’t. Deceit seemed to read his thoughts as he confirmed it. “It's surprising, right? I didn’t think they’d all fall for it. Logan, our smart, smart Logan... He figured it out. But it was much too late for him. Roman? He was so tired! Patton too, although he was rather upset with me.”

Virgil kept backing away, his free hand fumbling behind him for the door handle. He had to leave, he couldn’t stay- Deceit noticed him trying to move and waved his hand towards him, halting him in place. Virgil shook his head.

“I can’t do it-”

Deceit walked towards the scared side and grabbed his hand. “You don’t have much of a choice here, Virge.”

“You don’t get to call me that!”

Deceit laughed again. “It's me, Virge,” He leaned in and pointed at himself. “Aren’t we friends?”

Virgil broke away from the spell, pushing Deceit back and running to the other side of the room, but his gaze caught the three on the couch and he nearly broke down. He didn’t want to accept the fact they’d given up. There was no way he was the last one left. “We’re nothing,” Virgil hissed. “We never were.”

“Liar~”

Virgil shook his head. “You mean nothing to me. You never did.”

Deceit held a hand over his chest in mock offense. ‘Virgil, dear, I’m upset. Did you forget all the good things I did for you?”

“You didn’t do anything! You made me worse!”

Deceit held back another laugh. As if Virgil had forgotten? He took him in when the others ignored him. He was there for Virgil through so much.

“Virgil-”

“No!”

“Virgil!”

The anxious side shut up again.

“You have two choices here. And only two. You refuse? Well, that’s your own problem. There’s no bringing those three back now, I’m not giving them back the control. You either work with me,” He stood directly in front of Virgil and leaned in, staring directly into his eyes. “Or you give up.”

Virgil’s breathing was heavy. He began chewing the inside of his mouth, trying hard not to cry. He wasn’t about to cry. Not now.

“Tick tock, Virge.”

“I-” He paused and bit his lip. “I- I refuse to work with you.”

“So?”

Its quiet for a few minutes, Deceit watching Virgil.

“I can’t do it. I- I give up. I’m done. You get control…”

Deceit smiled and leaned in to press a kiss on Virgil’s forehead. The other side looked sadly up at him, knowing what was next. He closed his eyes and felt himself fall, but Deceit caught him before he could hit the floor. Deceit carried him over to the couch with the others, putting him beside Patton.


End file.
